Black Cat Trio

Orson  (KN)

In the fall of 2022 I was spending quite a lot of time on the DoubleWide deck with the semi-ferals, and I got to know Fargo and Della – though our acquaintance never progressed past the wary acceptance of treats. I learned that they had come to us from Salmon Arm in 2021, and that they’d been part of a larger clowder, transferred to us through Sammy’s Forgotten Felines in Kamloops. The other three cats that came with them had two handicaps – they were black cats, and they based themselves in the back courtyard behind Waldie’s Hut – an area that is almost impossible to monitor, because there are so many hiding places.

Arwen (KN)

More recently, in the course of Kitty Comforting shifts, I encountered Arwen – a small shy black cat who was caged for dental care and an upper respiratory infection. Arwen is very wary, but the KCs know all about dealing with wary cats – lots of patience required, and the knowledge that when the cat finally emerges from treatment, it may want to forget all about the humans who reached out to it.  

Arwen  (KN)

Arwen spent some time in the Newcomers area – which meant, for her, an upper-level cage. For the agile and bendy among the KCs, this is not a problem – they simply fold themselves up and climb into the cage with her. For those of us who are less agile, it means a lot of arms-length reaching – not comfortable for cat or human.  Arwen has now been moved to the DoubleWide, which means she has a large cage in which there is a chair!  There, we can sit and make contact with her just by voice, or by touch. The touch is not initially welcomed, but a back-scratcher or a brush makes a good start, and Arwen appreciates a bit of back-end petting – her bum comes up happily as long as she can’t see your hand at first. Arwen’s still wearing a cone as her mouth heals from dental surgery, so we’ve got another week or so at least, to coax her into accepting that humans mean her nothing but good.

Orson  (KN)

Having got to know Arwen, I decided I needed to make the acquaintance of the rest of her clowder.  Black cats, of course, are often very hard to identify, and I rely heavily on Karen’s knowledge to get to know where some of them may be situated, and how to distinguish them.  Big Orson was surprisingly easy to find. I had initially met him sitting next to Waldie’s hut and been struck by his similarity to my beloved Midnight, who we lost earlier this summer. Orson is a big boy, though less chonky than Midnight, and he has similar white whiskers – plus one white eyebrow whisker. 

Orson, relaxed in the sunshine  (BC)

He is not ready yet to make any approaches, and is not notably food-motivated, so closer friendship may be a long process. He and his family have been with us for three years now, so he’s probably around 9 years old. Karen tells me that when he was first released, we couldn't find him and we had to set up trail cameras inside the BCY to check on him because we didn't know where he was hiding or when he emerged to eat and socialize. Nowadays he's much braver than he used to be and is prepared to sit quietly while I talk to him, though he does not want to be touched.

Orson  (KN)

He’s probably around 16lbs in weight; all the others from his colony are tiny, so we don't know where he got it from!  

Keno-in-a-box - note the ear-tip identifier!  (BC)

His most common companion is Keno, probably the shyest of the group. She lurks in Orson’s shadow, and can sometimes be found tucked in an adjacent bed.  The giveaway identifier is a light-coloured tip to the right ear – otherwise Keno joins the ranks of “black cat 42B”

Keno  (KN)

Of the whole clowder, Orson likes to be around pen 8 & Waldie’s Hut, Keno likes Waldie’s Hut and Newcomers, Arwen likes Newcomers and the Back Courtyard, tabby Della likes the Back Courtyard and the DW Deck, grey Fargo likes the DW Deck and the little bit of the courtyard next to it – so they all overlap a little bit.  But it’s the three black cats that can most frequently be seen together.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson

Fargo & Della

Fargo  (KN)

Cats who come into the DoubleWide are generally released there after their cage-stay is over. Some of the more feral ones are quick to make a getaway into the back pens, but there are always some who get as far as the back deck and think “this isn’t too bad!”  The back deck is full of good hiding-places. In the area overlooking the Tea-Room there’s a big comfy mattress for those who like to snuggle, and when the temperature drops, the heat lamp will go on and offer a magnetic attraction. In the rest of the room, there are draped shelves and stuffed armchairs that can be slept on or under; for the cats who want to be out of reach, there are always the runways up close to the ceiling. And there’s a cat-door in the corner for those who like the outside option.

Fargo & Della  (BC)

In the spring of 2021 we took in a group of cats who had come from a rescue in Salmon Arm. Many communities in our province are doing good work, trying to control a feral cat problem. Some of them work with fosters to tame scared kittens; some have barn-cat programs; some simply TNR (trap-neuter-release) and maintain the feral colonies. Sometimes none of those options will work, or an existing colony is under threat from urban development and an already stretched-to-the-bone rescue will turn to us for help, knowing that we can allow ferals to be ferals, and we won’t euthanize them if they can’t be tamed.

Della (BC)

Having been TNR’d and released to colonies in 2019, this group of scared, hissing cats was gathered up, arrived with us, had their cage-stay, and were released. The little black ones vanished into the back courtyard; Arwen, Keno and Orson can be found hiding around the back of Waldi’s Hut on the south side, or in the shrubbery at the east end. They are very wary of humans, and being little black cats, manage to stay mainly out of sight.  Two of the clowder, however, decided that the DoubleWide Deck offered better things. They discovered the cat door, but they also discovered more comfort, warmth and food indoors, and their outside visits rarely last long.

Fargo  (BC)

Fargo is the more courageous of the two – minimally... The DW cage in which they spent time remained open to them, and occasionally one would see a grey streak darting from it to the deck or back.  Gradually he became brave enough to stop and look, and as long as you stood still and didn’t make any moves, just talked quietly, he was ready to make visual contact.  

Fargo (BC)

He joined the group that gathers around when chicken tidbits are offered, and is ready to advance and ask for more, though not yet comfortable with coming too close. In the warmest weather, he joined the other deck cats in finding somewhere outside to relax where it was cooler.

Della on guard  (BC)

Della is much more wary. She stands out among the other little tabbies in the area because of her dark colouring – a contrast to the lighter shades of Ursula and Dior. She is not a chicken addict like Fargo, but is comfortable enough with him to share a plate at dinner time, even with a scary human watching. When I went to visit with them earlier this week, I climbed up to sit on the edge of the platform and was immediately surrounded by the bolder cats – Denzel and Hamlet, Bodhi and Luke – all wanting attention and food. Fargo couldn’t decide whether to join the crowd or to jump down to floor level, and finally made the leap, joining the equally chicken-addicted Sooke. 

Della  (BC)

Della held her ground and refused to get drawn into competition, but watched, letting me know that I should keep my distance for now.  The med staff tell me that she was used to being fed by humans as a colony cat, but has not so far allowed touch.

Dinner-time!  (BC)

The change in their behaviour in the last six months or so is notable. They are around cats who are not afraid of us, and they’re picking up the hints. They’re not ready for physical contact yet, but it will probably come – and with the winter months ahead, they will probably be joining the other former ferals in accepting our presence more calmly.

Blog by Brigid Coult

Photos by Brigid Coult & Karen Nicholson